THURSDAY, April 14, 2005

THURSDAY, April 14, 2005

Our View

Springtime triage

There is something about fine weather that

brings out the best in most of us. Steps become

more spritely, smiles are greeted with smiles, more time is spent outdoors puttering in vast or small plots of earth, new recipes are looked at — particularly those that can be cooked outdoors on a new grill, chilled for an afternoon picnic or sipped slowly watching a sunset.

It’s that time of year when everything and everyone gets a chance at renewal, to start again, to look ahead, to think grand thoughts and plan great things. It’s not how we start, it’s how we finish in life’s game. Some of us are slow starters but the lost w eight, the finished book, the balanced checkbook and the new love will come if we take those first steps. It’s all about choices.

Triage comes, from the French word “trier” meaning “to sort.”

Along with noticing all those brilliant tulips, dancing daffodils, and magnificent magnolias, have you noticed the Upcoming Events section in this paper?

For the last several weeks, it has spilled over to other pages out of sheer necessity.

For instance, this Saturday there are no less than a dozen events starting with an early morning fillyou-up type of breakfast, a car show, car wash, lots of people huffing on Fodderstack and others learning to weave baskets or play the drums.

There’s no end to food opportunities during the day. You can bank on baked goods at the Washington Baptist Churclj annual spring event. Munch on a muffin as you stroll through Grandma’s attic or try a hamburger made from Sunnyside’s Kobe beef.

As the sun begins to wane, the evening will pose quite a challenge “sorting” out just which of the many events to attend.

Whether you decide on Chekhov, an aria, attending a “womanless pageant” or learning more about Social Security, take a step to one of them.

It’s quite a springtime triage. Enjoy.